


An Unusual Place for Mistletoe

by notalwayslate



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-02 11:30:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2810573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notalwayslate/pseuds/notalwayslate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Rumbelle Secret Santa Gift for Worringly Innocent.  Prompt: An Unusual Place For Mistletoe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unusual Place for Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WorryinglyInnocent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorryinglyInnocent/gifts).



“Whale if you don’t sit down and stop hovering around that door I’m going to kick you out whether you’re finished with your lunch or not.” 

Whale snapped his attention to Granny, placing his hands up in the air, feigning innocence. 

“I was just looking out the window Granny.”  
Her no nonsense stare forced him to move away from the door and slide back into his booth alone to finish his sandwich.

“Pervert,” Gold muttered under his breath, as he sat at the counter sipping his cup of coffee. 

“Hanging that Mistletoe above the door is the dumbest idea Ruby has ever had.” Granny groaned to herself. “The last thing I need is Whale trying to grope any woman that walks in my door.” Granny uttered shaking her head as she made her way back into the kitchen.

The bell chimed above the door allowing Gold to spin on his chair just in time to see the nauseating cute Snow and Charming enter the diner. Glancing up to see the Mistletoe, a smiling David scooped his wife in his arms planting a long kiss on her lips. Rolling his eyes, as hoots and hollers from other diners surrounded him, Gold thru down some change on the counter. This was a place of business not some brothel, the last time he checked. If he had to sit there and watch one more couple make googly eyes at each other, and engage in a public spectacle due to some hanging plant, he thought he may get sick. Grabbing his cane, he started limping out of this sickly sweet love fest, when in a flash, the door swung open, and he collided with another warm body. 

The cane clattered to the floor along with a thud of a book. On instinct Gold wrapped his arm around the other person pulling them towards him. It was after a moment that deep blue eyes looked up at him. 

“Oh Mr. Gold. I’m so sorry. I really need to be more careful where I’m walking.” Belle giggled. “ I was just so caught up in the chapter.” Her pale pink lips smiled at him. 

“That’s certainly alright, Ms. French. It’s no matter.” Gold suddenly realized that his arms were still wrapped around the pretty little librarian, and he let go of her as if she was a red hot poker burning his flesh. 

Kneeling quickly she picked up her book, and handed him his cane before standing . She glanced up towards his face, but her attention went past him.  
Following her stare, his eyes locked onto the little green plant hanging above them. He quickly glanced back down at her, and watched as her teeth dug into her bottom lip. Her radiant blue eyes peered up at him, as he suddenly could not remember how to breathe. For months, he often imagined what her lips tasted like. She was the only person in town brave enough to converse with the monster. He often found himself in her library, as she helped him research information on the latest trinkets he acquired at his shop. And it was this brave little creature who every Friday would stop by his shop with two coffees, sitting and talking to him about books, and life, and everything and nothing all at once.  
And now here they were. This was his moment. Her eyes were on him, mistletoe above them, at Granny’s. At Granny’s? Shit. He quickly darted his head around, to see every pair of eyes transfixed upon them.

Realizing they were the main attraction, he felt a blush creeping upon his cheeks. Gold let out a slight cough as he nodded to her in a clip tone “Well good day Ms. French.”  
He rammed the door open, the cold air seizing upon his overheated body. He didn’t look back, as he quickly made his way to the pawnshop. The moment he entered he unleashed his embarrassment and frustration as his cane came crashing down on an old vase. She was right there in his arms, looking at him with what? Desire? Impossible he told himself, as he wiped his hand over his face. There is no way a beauty would ever want an old crippled monster like himself. He left Belle standing in the diner alone under a mistletoe. Who the hell hangs up a Mistletoe in a diner? People go in there to eat, not to be accosted by strangers the moment you walk in. He would be sure to sit down and calculate exactly how much Belle’s embarrassment would cost Granny the next time he collected her rent. 

His mind soon took to a darker path. What if Whale jumped up to console her? Just the mere thought of that man touching his Belle, caused his blood to boil. He should go back there. Walk right in, pull Belle up and kiss her thoroughly, underneath that damn green parasite. Let every man in there know that he was staking his claim, and that she belonged to him. But the coward in him caused him to turn and gather the broom and dustpan, and sweep up his shattered ego along with the vase.  
It was a few days later on Christmas Eve that Gold stood in his shop alone. He had successfully avoided Granny’s as well as the library since the mistletoe incident. He missed his conversations with the lovely librarian. Their friendship was the only thing he truly treasured, and everything had been going fine, until that damn green fungus hung above them like a storm cloud raining on any chance he may have had. 

She didn’t need some old man lusting after her. She was young, and beautiful, and smart, and…. His thoughts betrayed him as he once again thought of her lips, and wondered how they would feel against his skin. Cursing at himself he forced his mind back on to mundane tasks at his shop. Last minute shoppers stopped coming around 3:00 as most people had loved ones and family that they needed to get home to. At around seven that night, Gold was in the backroom, debating on if he should just sleep tonight on the cot, or make the trek home to his empty house, when he heard the bell chime. Cursing to himself for forgetting to lock the door, he made his way out, intent on lashing out on the last minute shopper, when he stopped in his tracks. 

“Belle?” 

She smiled at him, and he swore that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. She wore a white blouse, with a red plaid skirt, and black boots. She looked like a gift that his fingers itched to unwrap. With all of his blood leaving his brain, the only word he managed to stumble out of his mouth was,

“Hey.” 

“Hello Mr. Gold. I saw your light was still on, and I was hoping to catch you.”

“Are you looking for a gift?” He asked confused as to her presence. 

“No, actually I’ve….” She paused as she withdrew her hand from behind her back holding a small blue box with a gold bow. “I have a gift. F-For you.” She stuttered slightly. 

He opened his mouth but quickly closed it, knowing he had no words. He tilted his head, much like a dog trying to understand the words coming out of his master’s mouth. The voice inside his head told him to take the gift, but his body appeared to be in a state of shock. So he stood there, gaping at her for what felt like minutes, until she placed the box on one of the glass counters. 

“Well…I guess I should be going. Merry Christmas Mr. Gold.” The uncertainty in her tone, matched that of her eyes. It was only seeing the look of disappointment in her face that snapped him out of his stupor. 

“No, wait,” he stumbled towards her his hand out beckoning her to stay. 

She stopped turning back around to face him. It was at that moment that her small delicate fingers tucked her flowing chestnut hair behind her ears. His eyes narrowed at her earrings. He felt a thickness in his throat, as his eyes made out two small silver mistletoes that dangled from her perfect petite lobes.  
As the beauty bit her bottom lip, and peered up at him through her lashes, his body no longer obeyed the coward within him. He moved his hand towards her cheek, and watched as her eyes fluttered shut at his caress. Before he had time to change his mind, he moved his lips towards her long pale neck. His kiss right below where the earring dangled was gentle. One small kiss, then another sliding his mouth down her neck. As a small moan escaped Belle’s mouth, Gold’s mouth started sucking and nipping at her skin. 

He found the strength to pull himself away, knowing that the other mistletoe on her left ear needed his attention as well. He licked his way down her neck. This time, he bit down onto where her neck and shoulder met, sucking, and gently nipping at her creamy skin. The monster in him wanted to mark her. Wanted every person in town to know that she was his. He could feel her hands on his back, as he continued to consume her neck. After another nip, and then a quick lick over the red mark that was now forming on her, his blood froze cold as her hands slid off his back, and then onto his chest pushing him away.

How could he have been so stupid? Here was this poor girl, trying to be friendly, and visit an old monster on Christmas Eve, and he took advantage of her. He attached himself onto her neck like a leach. He quickly stumbled back, his eyes on nothing but the floor, as he grumbled, out a quick apology. He waited for her to turn on her heel and walk out of his store, out of his life forever. 

“Rumple.”  
He closed his eyes, scared to open them and see a look of horror or regret on her face. Suddenly he felt her hand cup his cheek, forcing his head up, as his brown eyes, met her pools of blue. 

“Why are you sorry?” 

“I shouldn’t have…I mean..I didn’t mean to hurt you or assume that you would want me to…” He could not find the words to express his shame. He was a monster.  
With a small smile, she moved one hand and carded it through his hair.

“I want you to open your gift.” She walked to the counter, picking up the box and handing it to him. 

She couldn’t help but laugh at the confused look on his face, as she placed it in his hand. Taking one last glance at her smile, digging for the last of his courage, Rumple opened the lid with shaking fingers. He pulled out a small mistletoe as his bottom lip started to quiver. 

“I wanted you to kiss me that day at Granny’s.” Her cheeks started to blush as she shyly confessed. “Actually I’ve wanted you to kiss me for a long time now. ”  
Gold’s mouth went dry at her confession. She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted this. She wanted him. Squeezing the mistletoe tightly in his hand, he felt tears pooling in his eyes. 

“Belle.” 

He pressed his lips hard to hers. Opening her mouth she invited him, swallowing any fears and doubts he may have had. The stood there kissing for minutes, or it could have been hours, when she finally pulled back from him, with a smile on her lips. 

“So I take it you like my gift?” 

“Oh yes, very much, Ms. French.”

Belle lifted her hand running her finger down her neck, with a cocked smile. 

“And by the state of my neck, I take it you like my earrings too?”

He smiled a wicked simper, as his eyes once again found their way to the red marks and bites he left on her neck. 

“Indeed I do.”

With a wicked smile of her own, Belle pressed her body against his as she whispered seductively into his ear. “I’m glad. It was a matching set.” 

As she leaned back, he suddenly took his attention away from his love bites, to notice a silver chain around her neck. Lifting his hand, he glided his fingers along her collar bone, following the chain, as it disappeared into her blouse. Looking deep into his eyes, unblinking, Belle lifted her fingers unfastening the first, and then second button on her blouse. Looking down, Gold saw the matching silver mistletoe pendant that dangled just above her pert breasts.  
Licking his lips he averted his eyes back to hers asking for unspoken permission. Seeing nothing but warmth and love in her eyes, Gold leaned down pressing one soft kiss and then another to her breast. Grabbing her hand, leading her into the backroom, Gold stopped just before reaching the cot.

“I love you Belle.”

“I love you too.”


End file.
